Jenness State Beach Redevelopment Project

December 13, 2017 Update

The comment period for the 2017 Jenness State Beach bathhouse and site improvements proposed design closed in mid-September and since then we’ve reviewed each comment and evaluated which changes can be accommodated.

The following changes to the 2017 design will be implemented;

Widen the pedestrian walkway to 36 inches between the seawall and the bollard.

Widen the pedestrian passage from the parking lot to the bathhouse plaza.

Add a rack for surf boards at bathhouse for temporary storage when using facilities.

Provide motorcycle parking spaces.

Add pavement marking in no parking areas.

Add a third changing stall.

Add a pedestrian stile and access at north end of seawall to facilitate access to the beach.

You may know that there was a redevelopment plan for the site proposed in 2016 that for several reasons was not implemented. There were five design changes from the original 2016 plan that are included the 2017 plan;

The square footage of the bathhouse has been reduced.

The length of the bathhouse along Ocean Boulevard has been reduced.

The cupola on the roof has been eliminated, reducing the total roof height.

The direction of travel will remain south to north in the parking lot.

August 24, 2017

Many thanks to the attendees who came to the August 9th public
information session. We would like to make a correction to the timeline
presented at the meeting. The division will be attending the Rye
Planning Board meeting on September 12th, not September 5th. The agenda for the September 12th planning board meeting is posted on their webpage.

July 2017 Update

The Division is pleased to announce that $1,000,000 in capital budget funding for the Jenness State Beach bathhouse has been appropriated in this biennium’s budget to construct a new toilet building and upgrade the parking lot. A public information session will be held on August 9, 2017, 6:00 pm at the Rye Public Library to discuss the design.

The Jenness State Beach bathhouse was constructed in 1980. There is a 70 car parking lot adjacent to the bathhouse; however, the facility serves a much greater population with over 400 cars parking along Ocean Boulevard, adjacent streets and in private lots (approximately 1,400 people per day) within a 15 minute walk.

The new design was the result of conversations the Division had with elected officials and other stakeholders about the Jenness Beach redevelopment project. A building and site design has been designed to accommodate the visitors to the beach that is also now fully compliant with current ADA standards. This design update incorporates suggestions by visitors and residents including keeping the parking lot direction the same, providing an universally accessible walkway along the seawall and limiting the length of the building along the roadway.

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May 2017 Update

The implementation of the Jenness Beach redevelopment project was delayed due to the filing of an injunction by the abutters for the construction of the bathhouse and parking lot improvements. While the decision by Merrimack County Superior Court was granted in the state’s favor in late November, it was too late for the contractor to meet the construction and budget schedule as planned to open the new facilities in June of 2017.

This past winter the Division has been in discussion with the Governor’s office, the legislature and other stakeholders about the Jenness Beach redevelopment project. In addition, we’ve been working with the design and engineering consultants to explore other sites and design for the facility. In the next few months, if funding is provided in the state capital budget, we will be reaching out to the public to discuss our plans. Thank you and have a great summer!

October 2016 Update

The Governor and Executive Council met today and approved the contract with SMART Assistive Technologies LLC for the Jenness Bathhouse replacement and parking lot improvements. At today’s meeting the Governor and Executive Councilors were given a schematic model to show the location, height and size of the new building (of course it is best to use the scaled site and construction plans for exact placement).